Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ginger molasses cookies are soft, chewy spiced cookies made with molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, rolled in sugar for a little crackle. The molasses keeps them moist and chewy for days, and an almond bark drizzle with sprinkles turns them into edible gifts. They take a handful of pantry staples and a short chill, nothing fancy. Ready in about 55 minutes and makes 24 cookies.
Every year around the holidays, I helped my mom bake molasses cookies. My actual contribution was rolling the dough balls in sugar, after which I’d park myself in front of the oven window and watch them bake like it was must-see TV.
The waiting was torture. The whole house filled up with cinnamon and ginger and that molasses smell, and I was convinced the cookies would never actually finish. They always did. They were always worth it.
So this is my version of that cookie. Soft, chewy, packed with warm spices, and rolled in sugar for a little crackle on the outside. They’re basically gingerbread that decided to be a cookie instead. And while everybody files these under Christmas, I make them year round, mostly because my husband would stage a formal protest if I didn’t.
The dough comes together with a handful of pantry staples and one short chill. Then you can leave them plain or dip them in almond bark and go full festive.
More Warm and Spiced Cookies
- Snickerdoodles – soft cinnamon sugar rolled cookies with crispy edges
- Biscoff Butter Cookies – crispy warm spiced Biscoff spread cookies
- Toffee Cookies – buttery cookies loaded with crunchy toffee bits
- Rolo Thumbprint Cookies – chocolate caramel filled buttery thumbprint cookies
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Light brown sugar: This adds moisture and chew. Dark brown works too if that’s what you’ve got, and it’ll deepen the flavor.
Molasses: Go with dark, sometimes labeled robust. It’s got that deep, rich gingerbread flavor with a little bitter edge. Not as sweet as light molasses, not as punishing as blackstrap molasses. The middle child, and the right one here.
Almond bark melting wafers: For the dip and drizzle. White chocolate works if you’d rather.
Butter: I don’t normally use salted butter but in this recipe I do. Add a little extra salt if you have unsalted.
Spices: A combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and sea salt. You probably have these in your pantry now, ready for all your holiday baking.
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How To Make Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Heat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Beat the softened butter and brown sugar with a mixer for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until fully combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Mix with a spatula just until combined. Don’t overwork it. Chill the dough 15 to 20 minutes. This makes it far less sticky and much easier to roll.
- Put the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the dough, roll into balls, then roll through the sugar and set on the sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until golden. Watch them closely, molasses browns fast and these can burn before you know it.
- Cool on the sheet 5 to 10 minutes so they set, then move to a rack and cool completely.
- For the finish, melt the almond bark in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth.
- Dip or drizzle the cooled cookies, add sprinkles or mini chips or M&Ms while the coating’s wet, and let it set before serving.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage & Freezing
Room temp: Airtight container, up to a week. The molasses keeps them soft, so they hold up better than most cookies.
Make ahead (dough): Chill the dough in the fridge up to 3 days.
Freeze the dough: Freeze the dough balls before rolling in sugar, up to 3 months. When you’re ready, let them sit at room temperature 30 minutes, heat the oven, roll in sugar, and bake as directed.
Freeze baked cookies: Up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. Freeze them before adding the almond bark for the cleanest results.
Variations
Crystallized ginger: Chop some in for extra bite and chewy texture.
White chocolate chips: Stir them into the dough. Warm spices plus white chocolate is a great combo.
Nuts: Macadamias, almonds, cashews, or pistachios all add crunch.
Cinnamon sugar roll: Roll the balls in cinnamon sugar instead of plain granulated for an extra layer of flavor.
More Easy Christmas Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies – buttery melt in your mouth pecan balls
- Stained Glass Cookies – colorful sugar cookies with candy centers
- Sweet and Spicy Rugelach – flaky pastry rolled with pepper jelly filling
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies – melt in your mouth buttery shortbread
Frequently Asked Questions
Molasses is an invert sugar (some science mumbo jumbo), which means it pulls in and holds onto moisture even after the cookies are baked. That’s why these stay soft and chewy for days instead of drying out. It also brings that warm, slightly bitter flavor you can’t fake with regular sugar.
Dark molasses, sometimes sold as “robust.” It sits right in the middle of the pack. Light molasses is sweeter and thinner on flavor, blackstrap is intense and bitter. Dark gives you the deep gingerbread flavor with just a hint of bitterness, which is exactly what these want.
Molasses browns fast, so these go from golden to gone quicker than a regular cookie. Stay near the oven for the last couple of minutes and pull them at golden, not dark.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t skip the chill. Cold dough is way easier to roll and won’t stick to your hands.
- No sifter? Dump the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them hard with a fork. Same effect.
- Watch them like a hawk near the end. Molasses cookies burn faster than you’d expect.
- Let them sit on the hot pan 5 to 10 minutes before moving them, or they’ll fall apart on you.
- If you’re dipping in almond bark, make sure the cookies are fully cooled first or the coating slides right off.
If this ginger molasses cookie recipe fills your kitchen with the same smell mine had growing up, come back and leave a five-star review in the comments. It helps other people find the recipe, and it genuinely makes my day.
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Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¼ cup dark molasses
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies before baking
- 4 ounces almond bark or melting wafers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together using a stand mixer or hand mixer softened butter & brown sugar for one to two minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Next, add in the egg and molasses and beat until completely mixed.
- Using a flour sifter, place flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and sift into the butter mixture and mix with a spoon or wooden spatula until combined. Do not over mix at this step.
- Next, place in the refrigerator to chill the dough for 15-20 minutes. This will help with making it into balls, and not being sticky and easier to handle.
- After the dough is chilled, place the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop and roll into a ball, then roll in the granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Watch closely, as they can burn very easily!
- Once completely cooled, melt almond bark in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.
- Dip or drizzle (or both) onto your cookie, add on festive sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or M&M’s.
- Once the almond bark is dried and cool on the cookie, enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t skip the chill. Cold dough is way easier to roll and won’t stick to your hands.
- No sifter? Dump the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them hard with a fork. Same effect.
- Watch them like a hawk near the end. Molasses cookies burn faster than you’d expect.
- Let them sit on the hot pan 5 to 10 minutes before moving them, or they’ll fall apart on you.
- If you’re dipping in almond bark, make sure the cookies are fully cooled first or the coating slides right off.
Nutrition
Today’s recipe is in honor of The Sweetest Season which is an event hosted by my blogger friend, Erin from The Speckled Palate.
She has been doing this cookie baking event for the last decade – and this year, since it’s the season of giving and giving back, we are happy to be supporting an organization that’s actively funding treatments for kids and their families who are affected by children’s cancers.
About Cookies for Kids’ Cancer:Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $17 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
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